Give Your Heart a Break
by Taylor Hayes
Summary: Oneshot wherein Kurt watches as Sam gets his heart broken again and again, finally deciding to take the chance and admit that he's in love with the blond. AU wherein there is no Blaine or Dalton. Hevans. Inspired by Demi Lovato song by the same name.


**Give Your Heart a Break**

"_The day I first met you, you told me you'd never fall in love_."

That wasn't entirely true. The day Kurt first held out his hand and offered it to Sam, there had been no discussion of love or relationships. Still, Kurt recognized the look in the other boy's eyes – a hopeless romantic. Someone who _wanted_ a fairy tale love, but also didn't believe they would ever get it. And Kurt understood, because he was much the same.

"_But now that I get you I know fear is what it really was. Now here we are, so close, yet so far. Haven't I passed the test? When will you realize, baby, I'm not like the rest?_"

Even after Kurt had "freed" the blond from their duet, Sam continued to approach him as a friend. And it had hurt to watch the adorable male keep falling for one girl after another, girls that Kurt loved but whom he would never trust anyone's heart to, and being devastated when his hopes were dashed. The countertenor had seen how hard his friend tried to be whatever the girls wanted. It had probably been the worst with Quinn, who expected to be wooed with money and time that Sam didn't have. And his meager attempts to show her how he felt were always met with pity or scorn. But Sam kept trying, because he didn't know what else to do.

"_Don't want to break you heart, want to give your heart a break. I know you're scared it's wrong, like you might make a mistake. There's just on life to live and there's no time to wait- To waste- So let me give your heart a break. Give your heart a break. Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break. Oh, yeah, yeah._"

When that relationship fell apart, Sam came out of it with no girlfriend, no best friend, the entire school gossiping behind his back, and the incorrect belief that he wasn't worth being faithful to. Kurt had picked up the pieces of his friend, ignoring his own circumstances as Karofsky's stalking grew worse, before tapering off. He wouldn't find out until much later that Sam had finally confronted Karofsky with the truth. Kurt had never told anyone about the locker kiss, but Sam figured it out and threatened to out the larger boy if he wouldn't back off and leave the countertenor alone.

"_On Sunday you went home alone. There were tears in your eyes. I called you cell phone, my love, but you did not reply. The world is ours. If you want it, we can take it if you just take my hand. There's no turning back now. Baby, try to understand._"

Then there came the whirlwind affair - because Kurt really couldn't think of a more appropriate moniker – with Santana. She had never claimed to want anything more than her opening salvo suggested: a physical relationship to make people jealous. And Sam had tried, again, to be what she wanted. But he needed to believe, especially after what Quinn had done, that he was lovable. The fierce Latina refused to even consider a stronger bond. When they fell apart, as was inevitable, there was Kurt again, lifting up his friend, caring for him, assuring Sam that he _would_ find the person who loved him more than anything, it would just take time.

"_Don't want to break you heart, want to give your heart a break. I know you're scared it's wrong, like you might make a mistake. There's just on life to live and there's no time to wait- To waste- So let me give your heart a break._"

The one that had wounded Kurt the most seriously, though, was Sam and Mercedes' summer fling. Mercedes had been Kurt's best friend since the beginning of glee, although they had grown apart following Burt's heartattack. Still, they confided in one another, and she was the only person he had trusted enough to tell that he was falling in love with Sam. That was the final breaking of their friendship, when he sat alone at the Lima Bean, remembering New York and wishing he was still there or that there could be someone sitting across from him, smiling softly and telling him he was loved, only to look up and find Sam and Mercedes standing too close to one another. The curve of the boy's mouth said he was legitimately glad to see Kurt, but the stiff stance the diva beside Sam held and the guilt and satisfaction whispering across Mercedes' face made it clear that the blond had been the one who wanted to greet Kurt. And the slim brunet had known based on his old friend's expression that they were trying a relationship. Despite Mercedes' knowledge that Kurt had been head-over-heels in love about Sam for more than a year.

"_Give your heart a break. Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break. There's just so much you can take, please give your heart a break. Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break. Oh, yeah, yeah._"

Summer ended, and Kurt had shown up at the motel, looking for Sam, only to discover that the boy was no longer there. And the jock had been so focused on Mercedes that he hadn't even taken the time to tell Kurt his family was moving to another state. There was no good bye - Sam and the Evans were simply gone.

"_When your lips are on my lips and our hearts beat as one, but you slip out of my fingertips every time you run. Whoa!_"

He had received an email two weeks later from his friend, explaining. And they had kept in contact. When Sam got the job at the strip club, Kurt tried to convince him to stop, but they were too far away for his protests to make any difference. And then he came to school one day, sat quietly in his seat while everyone else talked, looked up when the door opened-

There was Sam, smiling easily, hair shorter, skin a little lighter, bags under his eyes, but his expression was joyful.

"_Don't want to break your heart, want to give your heart a break. I know you're scared it's wrong, like you might make a mistake. There's just one life to live and there's no time to wait- To waste- So let me give your heart a break._"

And for a single moment, Kurt had thought that maybe this was their chance. Maybe they would finally be possible. He knew Sam was bisexual, that had been a shared confidence last year, and Kurt had always hoped… Only for those dreams to be dashed when Sam took one look around the school and made a beeline for Mercedes. Mercedes, who had a boyfriend. Mercedes, who abandoned New Directions. Mercedes, who had flat out told Kurt not to hold his breath for hope of a boyfriend before college.

"_'Cause you've been hurt before, I can see it in your eyes. You try to smile it away but some things you can't disguise. Don't want to break your heart. Baby, I can ease the ache- The ache- So let me give your heart a break._"

Well, Kurt was done with that. Kurt was finished being the fall back and the sounding board and the friend Sam always came to but never noticed. And this might have ruined everything, but he was through being ignored as a choice.

"_Give your heart a break. Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break. There's just so much you can take, please give your heart a break. Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break. Oh, yeah, yeah._"

So he had stood up, at the front of the newly reunited glee club, and announced a song dedicated to Sam. There was no backing down and no way out if this went terribly, horribly wrong. There was only now, this moment, as he finally admitted to the wonderful blond boy how he had felt all along.

"_The day I first met you, you told me you'd never fall in love_."

All of it lead up to this moment, as the music died away and Kurt tried to keep his back straight and his head high, taking in the incredulous stares of their friends, the puzzled twist of Mr. Schue's eyebrows, and the utterly stunned expression on Sam's face. As the seconds passed and no one made a move, Kurt felt his heart deflate. He made his shoulders rigid and held his chin up, but inside he was shattering.

Then Sam was out of his chair, across the room, hands brushing Kurt's cheeks. And he was kissing him, the press of lips full of happiness and desire, and Kurt was responding with a little gasp, arms shooting out to hug tightly around Sam's back, pulling their bodies flush against each other. Finally, finally, after what seemed like seconds and hours combined, the blond was pulling back to grin down at Kurt, all the stress melting away from both of them. Eyes dark, hopeful and passionate and fulfilled.

Later, Sam would admit that it was always in the back of his mind, but he was scared to destroy the best friendship he'd ever had. Later, they would admit their feelings and spend time cuddled close, planning for the future. Later, they would shock the school by walked around, unafraid, holding hands and kissing.

But for now, all that there was was Sam leaning his forehead against Kurt's and quietly assuring him, "I won't break your heart either."

And Kurt really couldn't ask for anything more.


End file.
